Environmental Flow (E-Flow)

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News: The Union Jal Shakti Minister chaired a key meeting to ensure environmental flow (e-flow) in the Ganga River and its tributaries, aiming to promote sustainable river management.

About Environmental Flow (E-Flow)

Disruptions of the Great Lakes food webs - Belle Isle Aquarium
Source: PIB
  • Definition: E-flow refers to the quantity, timing, and quality of water flows required to sustain freshwater ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them.
  • Importance:  It will maintain ecological integrity of rivers and their estuaries.
  • Human Benefit: It ensures human welfare, especially in regions with competitive and regulated water use.

Need for E-Flow

  • River Interventions: Dams, barrages, pollution, and encroachments have disrupted river systems.
  • Impact: Degraded aquatic biodiversity, reduced river self-cleaning capacity, and disturbed hydrological cycles.
  • Solution: E-flow ensures minimum water flow to preserve river health and sustain aquatic life.
  • Aquatic Biodiversity: E-flow protects the habitat and breeding cycles of key fish and aquatic species.
  • Economic Benefits: Long-term livelihood security for communities depending on rivers (e.g., fisheries, agriculture).
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